Exploring panic buying behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic: a developing country perspective

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gurmeet Singh ◽  
Asheefa Shaheen Aiyub ◽  
Tuma Greig ◽  
Samantha Naidu ◽  
Aarti Sewak ◽  
...  

PurposeThis paper aims to identify factors that influence customers' panic buying behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic.Design/methodology/approachA self-administered questionnaire was distributed to 357 participants in Fiji, and structural equation modeling to analyze the collected data.FindingsResults indicate that expected personal outcomes is positively associated with customers' attitudes while expected community-related outcomes negatively impact customers' attitudes. Factors such as attitude, subjective norms, scarcity, time pressure and perceived competition were found to positively influence customers' panic buying intention. Furthermore, scarcity and time pressure were confirmed to positively influence perceived competitiveness while perceived social detection risk negatively influences customer's panic buying intention.Practical implicationsThe findings highlight the need for better measures to ensure that every customer has access to goods and services and is not deprived of such necessities in times of a crisis. These results will assist store managers and policymakers in introducing better management, social policies and resource utilization mechanisms to mitigate panic buying during the pandemic.Originality/valueThis study's findings contribute to the literature on customer's panic buying behavior during a global pandemic. Research in this area remain scarce, inconsistent and inconclusive. Novel insights are generated as this study is the first to combine the theory of planned behavior, privacy calculus theory and protection motivation theory. Applying these theories allows new relationships to be tested to better understand customer behavior during a global pandemic. With most studies on customer behavior during crises and disasters in developed countries, this study generates new insights by exploring customer behavior in a developing country.

2019 ◽  
Vol 41 (3) ◽  
pp. 420-435 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arshad Mahmood ◽  
Muhammad Naseer Akhtar ◽  
Usman Talat ◽  
Chuanmin Shuai ◽  
James C. Hyatt

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to increase understanding of the influence mechanisms of specific HR practices variables – salary, job stability and job enrichment – upon employee commitment, through the mediating role of job satisfaction, in a developing country context. Crucially, these indicate employee commitment.Design/methodology/approachThe study analyzed three specific HR practices with a sample of 263 employees in the banking industry of Pakistan. A structural equation modeling methodology is adopted.FindingsThe findings indicate that remuneration strategies were positively related to job satisfaction and employee commitment. Regarding the intervening impact of job satisfaction, this study found that it mediates only for non-monetary strategies between job satisfaction and employee commitment.Research limitations/implicationsA key limitation is that this is a cross-sectional study, perhaps not generalizable over longitudinal approaches. Another limit is posed by the developing country context of this study, perhaps not applicable to some developed countries.Practical implicationsFrom an HR perspective, managing salary structure is an ongoing issue. The proposed model suggests the use of specific practices about satisfaction and commitment as intermediate steps to manage employee commitment.Originality/valueThe research offers a unique understanding from the developing country context of Pakistan. This provides a novel study conducted to examine employee commitment using the high-performance work practices model.


2018 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 422-440 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sukanya Panda ◽  
Santanu Kumar Rath

Purpose This study aims to test a model in which the effect of strategic information technology (IT)-business alignment on organizational agility is examined by the moderating influence of environmental uncertainty. Design/methodology/approach This research utilizes a matched-pair survey data collected from 300 IT and business executives working in various privately owned Indian financial enterprises, and structural equation modeling is used to examine the alignment–agility linkage. Findings The analysis demonstrates the positive effect of alignment on agility (studied as business process and market responsive agilities), and alignment is more effective on business process agility than market responsive agility. However, the moderation analysis reveals that in a highly uncertain environment, alignment has more effect on market responsive agility but not on business process agility. Originality/value Although previous studies (mostly conducted in the context of developed countries) have reported about the positive IT-business alignment and organizational agility linkage, the literature is silent regarding the influence of external contingent factors on this relationship from a developing country perspective. The authors have conceptualized alignment on the basis of strategic alignment maturity model and meticulously examined its relationship with both categories of agility. This research extends the alignment-agility theory and provides empirical support for this unique association from a developing country (i.e. India) perspective, and thereby, greatly contributes to the alignment literature.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rashmi Maini ◽  
Sanandi Sachdeva ◽  
Guneet Kaur Mann

PurposeThe objective of this research is to explore factors that influence interns' satisfaction (is) toward the e-internship program, an alternate adopted by management institutes in lieu of the regular summer internship amidst the global pandemic, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).Design/methodology/approachA cross-sectional research design with a self-reported questionnaire was conducted on business school (B-school) interns to rate the factors that contribute to their e-internship satisfaction. Structural equation modeling was used to examine the responses obtained from 203 B-school interns with a diverse demographic background belonging to a government university of North India. Convenience sampling was employed to get valid responses from interested respondents.FindingsResults revealed that although all the four factors under consideration, faculty mentors' preparedness (FMP), industry mentors' preparedness (IMP), interns' readiness toward online internship and interns' Internet efficacy (IIE) are significantly related to IS, industry mentors' role was found to have a major impact on the IS. The study unravels that industry mentors' interaction has a potential role in the successful implementation of e-internships.Research limitations/implicationsThe study has implications for the university as well as the companies to ponder on factors that satisfy interns during the virtual internship and designing an effective internship program by having a collaborative approach.Originality/valueThere is a dearth of empirical studies on internships in general and e-internship in particular, so this study fills the gap and contributes to the existing literature and provides ways to satisfy B-school interns toward e-internship by addressing the key factors.


Author(s):  
G. K. Deshmukh ◽  
Sanskrity Joseph

The fact that ‘Man is a social being' is seen and felt in real as well as in virtual world. The paper discusses the advent of concept of social customer. All customers who use social media to share their experience through their positive or negative comments related with goods and services used as well as those who browse social media for getting reference to arrive at a decision to buy or choose are social customers. In the above backdrop the researchers have tried to highlight following issues: (i) definition of Social Customers, (ii) impact of Social media as a reference group on social customer. The researchers have conducted an empirical study and analyzed the data through Structural equation modeling and provided guidelines to marketers on the impact of social media in general and e-WOM in particular on buying behavior of social customers.


2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Md Thohidul Karim ◽  
Xu Qi

Purpose Multi-channel business operations are standard practice in most business contexts today. The popularity of multi-channel adoption among developing countries is growing fast. In Bangladesh, the retailers who adopted multi-channel retailing have been getting a very good response from the consumers. This study aims to understand the factors that influence manufacturers’ decisions to adopt multiple channels in Bangladesh. The authors applied an extended technology acceptance model with three variables: business innovation, business competition and consumer satisfaction. Design/methodology/approach Partial least squares-structural equation modeling was applied to test the data collected from 157 companies and relevant hypotheses. Findings The study findings show that Bangladeshi manufacturers are positive about, and expect benefits from, applying the new channel. The study also revealed that customer satisfaction considerably affects multi-channel adoption in Bangladesh. Similarly, business innovation and business competition play a significant role in introducing multiple business channels. Research limitations/implications This research was conducted in Bangladesh, and data are collected from Dhaka and Chittagong that may limit the generalizability of findings. Practical implications The research goal was to understand a manufacturer’s perception to adopt multi-channel in business. The proposed research model was able to address the major factors that drive a manufacturer to introduce multiple business channels, especially in Bangladesh. Originality/value Many research and case studies have been done the past couple of decades, but most of them are consumer oriented. Little research has been done to investigate a manufacturer’s point of view adapting innovation in business. Though some research articles are available online, most of them from developed countries. So, the study’s goal was to study developing countries scenario; thus, the authors choose Bangladesh.


2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
José A.D. Machuca ◽  
Juan A. Marin-Garcia ◽  
Rafaela Alfalla-Luque

PurposeThis paper analyzes whether the Triple-A supply chain (SC)–competitive advantage (CA) relationship is influenced by the country context and considers the case of emerging vs developed countries. Any differences in the importance of the three Triple-A SC dimensions (agility, adaptability and alignment) and a potential synergy effect among them when pursuing CA are also analyzed.Design/methodology/approachPartial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) method is applied to an international multiple informant sample of 304 manufacturing plants in nine developed and five emerging countries.FindingsA significant positive relationship is found between the Triple-A SC and CA in the full sample and in the two separate samples of emerging and developed countries, which is more intense in the emerging countries. For the same samples, it is also concluded that (1) there are no significant differences in the importance of SC adaptability (SC-Ad), SC agility (SC-Ag) and SC alignment (SC-Al) as levers in the Triple-A SC–CA relationship and (2) a synergy effect among the Triple-A SC dimensions when pursuing CA is not supported.Research limitations/implicationsThe present study brings new evidence to the previous research on Triple-A SC and its relationship with CA in different country contexts. For managers, this work (1) shows that Triple A should be considered in the design of global SCs irrespective of the country context and (2) offers a first approach for determining the Triple-A SC levers that must be taken into consideration when pursuing a CA.Originality/valueThis paper contributes to Triple-A SC theory development. It is the first research study that analyzes the effect of the country context on the Triple-A SC–CA relationship and the importance of each of the Triple-A SC dimensions and their possible synergy effect when pursuing CA using a multiinformant international sample taken from different country contexts.


2019 ◽  
Vol 122 (2) ◽  
pp. 414-431 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tsung Hung Lee ◽  
Chung-Jen Fu ◽  
Yin Yuan Chen

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to assess the relationship between trust factors and buying behavior among consumers in the organic food market in Taiwan. Design/methodology/approach The researchers developed a questionnaire using latent variables including the trust factors, utilitarian attitudes, hedonic attitudes, buying behavior and demographic information of consumers of organic foods. Confirmatory factor analysis and the structural equation modeling were conducted using LISREL 8.80 for Windows. Findings The empirical results indicated that health content, locally produced products, organic food labels and price premiums positively and significantly affected utilitarian and hedonic attitudes. Both utilitarian attitudes and hedonic attitudes positively and significantly affected respondents’ buying behavior. A series of theoretical implications were identified. Practical implications The researchers concluded that providing consumers with practical information related to organic food, establishing local production facilities, developing content, standardizing labeling procedures and promoting a new organic certification system for small-scale producers will encourage more consumers to purchase organic food. Originality/value This study first examines the food trust buying behavior of organic foods and related consumption behavior theory questions. It mainly takes the stimulus–organism–response model as the foundation of its approach. Simultaneously, it also conforms to utilitarian behavior theory, and the process by which consumers become better aware of organic foods’ quality.


2018 ◽  
Vol 29 (5) ◽  
pp. 798-812 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richa Chaudhary ◽  
Samrat Bisai

Purpose Building on the theory of planned behavior (TPB), the purpose of this paper is to understand the green buying behavior of educated millennials in India. The study also attempts to extend the TPB by including two additional variables, environmental concern (EC) and willingness to pay premium, in the framework. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected from 202 students from various departments of an institute of higher education in India. The proposed model was tested with the help of structural equation modeling using bootstrapping procedures in SPSS AMOS 24. Findings Except for the direct association between subjective norm (SN) and purchase intention (PI), the study provided support for the TPB framework. EC was found to exert an indirect influence on green PI through its effect on attitude, SN and perceived behavioral control. Willingness to pay premium moderated the relationship of PI with green buying behavior. PIs were found to successfully translate into purchase behavior (PB). Practical implications This research by promoting an understanding on the factors affecting the green buying behavior of educated millennials in India will assist green marketers to tap the tremendous potential inherent in this market segment by formulating customized market plans and strategies. Originality/value The study extends the existing literature by validating and extending the TPB framework in a unique cultural context and advancing the understanding of underlying psychological mechanisms and boundary conditions of the relationship between PIs and PBs.


2019 ◽  
Vol 121 (2) ◽  
pp. 320-332 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eunju Woo ◽  
Yeong Gug Kim

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to apply the multidimensional construct of green perceived value (GPV) to the buying behavior of green food products to enhance the understanding of consumer behavior intentions and explain the formation of the intention to buy green food products. Design/methodology/approach This study adopted four GPVs (i.e. functional value, conditional value, social value and emotional value) and explored the relationships among GPV, attitudes and purchase intention. A total of 300 self-administered questionnaires were distributed, from which 253 usable responses were obtained. Findings The relationships between six constructs and 20 indicators were measured using structural equation modeling. All the underlying dimensions had a significant effect on consumers’ attitudes, significantly affecting their purchase intention. Originality/value Implications for future research and marketing strategies in the field of purchasing behaviors of green food products are discussed.


2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 511-530
Author(s):  
Ram Al Jaffri Saad ◽  
Abubakar Umar Farouk ◽  
Dzarfan Abdul Kadir

Purpose This study aims to examine the factors influencing the intention to comply with business zakat in a developing country. Design/methodology/approach A sample of 700 small and medium scale businessmen was drawn using the random sampling method. A total of 524 responses was analyzed using the partial least square structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) technique. Findings Results indicate attitudes toward zakat evasion, attitudes toward moral reasoning, peer influence, zakat knowledge, zakat distribution and perceived zakat board capital positively and significantly influence intention to pay zakat. Interestingly, the enforcement of zakat law was found to significantly influence intention but in a negative direction. Practical implications Accordingly, it was recommended for policymakers to pay more attention to policy formulation to the identified factors in line with the results so that zakat collection could be increased. Originality/value The study contributes generally to zakat compliance knowledge and specifically to zakat on business wealth in Muslim majority states in developing countries that are fighting against poverty. The PLS-SEM method and its application in the Islamic field study, especially on zakat payment has a limited discussion in previous studies, which is a unique contribution of this study.


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